Golden princess alaska review 12-19 sep 09

[SeattleCruiselover]

EMBARKATION: I honestly think that the Port of Seattle is to blame for most of the problems, though not ALL, that we encountered pre and during embarkation on Saturday. And some things just can’t be helped…..like the fact that some foolish passenger(s) shoplifted during the previous cruise and held up disembarkation by more than an hour while the gendarmes were summoned to hustle them off to incarceration. The traffic patterns, in general, left a lot to be desired. If we had not arrived extremely early, we might have sat in traffic waiting for drop off for half an hour or more (luckily, too, we had a limo and not a meters running taxicab). There are next to no stevedores/porters to assist with disembarkation, and NONE for embarkation, so you have to wrestle your own bags.

There is a clearly marked baggage entrance to the building, but, guess what, it is reserved for crew only. Everyone else has to haul their bags into the building to be checked in, and then come back out to get into line to go upstairs and be checked in. Check in itself was fairly efficient, and then had to sit and wait for the ship to be ready, which was delayed by the late disembarkation.

GOLDEN PRINCESS HERSELF: I was, overall, happy with the changes that were made during her recent dry-dock. The ship was clean, well cared for, and under routine maintenance during the entire cruise. Our mini-suite was in about the same shape as it was (same cabin) during last year’s cruise, barring the new flat panel TV’s times two; which is to say good shape. Whoever says Princess beds are hard must like REALLY soft beds….they weren’t hard at all. We reserved Sanctuary time for both sea days, but it was so cold and the wind was blowing so hard that we only spent a couple of hours on the first sea day.

DINING: Liked the changes made when Crown Grill and International Café were added. We aren’t drinkers, so did not sample Vines. The new menus were a pleasant surprise, as well, particularly the “home cooking” items. I’m allergic to shellfish, so this gave me more of an opportunity to eat in the main dining rooms than I am normally used to. Quality was good, though breakfast and lunch get a little boring what with few different entrees each day. Service was excellent.

CABIN SERVICE: Rio, our cabin steward, was just fantastic. He made a point of checking in a couple of times each day, over and above room cleaning/service times. Knowing that I am physically challenged, he always asked if there was anything that I/we needed that he could get for us. We didn’t have to ask twice for anything.

ACTIVITIES/ENTERTAINMENT: With the way things have been going at work for both me and DD lately, we both needed some cheering up. That being said, we made it a point to go to some of the more “silly” activities, and we were not disappointed. We also enjoyed the demonstration activities (martinis, “demonstration nation”, et cetera). Only went to the shows the first couple of nights, because the “motion on the ocean” from the storm made being in the forward and aft venues pretty uncomfortable on the rest of the evenings. Those we did see, we enjoyed (Cinematic, Motor City).

SHORE EXCURSIONS: We were disappointed, at first, that the Alaska Queen Sternwheeler excursion in Ketchikan was cancelled due to vendor technical difficulties. Ultimately, though, due to 45-50 kt winds and rough waters even in harbor, we were glad it had been. Our only other excursion was the Liarsville Salmon Bake in Skagway, just because we wanted to something other than just our own usual self guided touring (this was our sixth trip, after all). We can highly recommend the Skagway Sculpture Garden. If you haven’t been there yet, you should go, the art is lovely and it is a peaceful setting.

All in all, we had a wonderful time. The last 36 hours were a little trying, due to aforementioned storm, but we didn’t let it get us down (and the ginger kept the queasiness to a bare minimum). We were late getting into Victoria because of the headwinds and heavy seas, but Captain and crew made a valiant effort and got us in, even though he could have cancelled the port stop altogether.

We liked it enough that we will be going again next year, since they have added the Glacier Bay itinerary from Seattle, and as an opportunity to try our first ever full suite.

If you have any specific questions, just let me know and I will try to answer.

[karatemom2]

Karen thanks for the review! We will be on the Golden for Christmas and are excited to back on and see all the changes. Thanks for the preview.

Sorry to hear about the rough weather you encountered, but it still sounds like you had a wonderful cruise.

[SeattleCruiselover]

Originally Posted by karatemom2

Karen thanks for the review! We will be on the Golden for Christmas and are excited to back on and see all the changes. Thanks for the preview.

Sorry to hear about the rough weather you encountered, but it still sounds like you had a wonderful cruise.

We did. You can't let it get you down, so I just took the little bit of queasiness for granted and did what I could to minimize it and just kept right on going.

[cruisingready]

Thanks for the review. We were on her in July and hit really hot weather. I know this sounds dumb but I wish it would have been a bit cooler!!!!! However what a great cruise we had also and will be going back again in July

[SeattleCruiselover]

Originally Posted by cruisingready

Thanks for the review. We were on her in July and hit really hot weather. I know this sounds dumb but I wish it would have been a bit cooler!!!!! However what a great cruise we had also and will be going back again in July

The cooler part was fine, I was ready and anxious for that. It was the winds and high seas that I wasn't particularly fond of....

We will be going back again next September, too.

[Colo Cruiser]

Karen thanks for the review.

How was the carpet in the mini? had it been replaced?

[Sailkeywest]

Fabulous review! Thank you for adding the bit about the beds, that was a concern for me and glad to know that they are 'sleepable.' Sounds like you had a great cruise.

P.S. We too are taking the Golden next year for the "Glacier Bay Viewing." Can't wait!

[dforeigner]

Thank you for taking time to write a review.

[SeattleCruiselover]

Originally Posted by Colo Cruiser

Karen thanks for the review.

How was the carpet in the mini? had it been replaced?

It looked like it to me. Didn't look quite as old as it did the year before.

[SeattleCruiselover]

Originally Posted by Sailkeywest

Fabulous review! Thank you for adding the bit about the beds, that was a concern for me and glad to know that they are 'sleepable.' Sounds like you had a great cruise.

P.S. We too are taking the Golden next year for the "Glacier Bay Viewing." Can't wait!

In fact, you will be our "neighbor" on that cruise. We will be in D737 just below and to the starboard of you. Give us a shout out......

[LARGIN]

Thanks for the review.. Looking forward to sailing with you next September

[SeattleCruiselover]

Originally Posted by LARGIN

Thanks for the review.. Looking forward to sailing with you next September

Likewise. Jean Paul was still aboard, but I was not able to find out for how long. A lot of the crew left for home here in Seattle on Saturday, but don't know if he was one of them.

[dunbawn]

Hi Karen We just got back from the Star. We hit some of the weather you had but not as bad. The sea wasn't as bad but when we got to Victoria the captain said he couldn'tport so we had to abort that stop.
Some people were rather upset but we just made the best of it. Like you had a great time and will write a review later.

Eileen

[SeattleCruiselover]

Originally Posted by dunbawn

Hi Karen We just got back from the Star. We hit some of the weather you had but not as bad. The sea wasn't as bad but when we got to Victoria the captain said he couldn'tport so we had to abort that stop.
Some people were rather upset but we just made the best of it. Like you had a great time and will write a review later.

Eileen

Believe me, you didn't miss anything by missing the worst of the weather, at least nothing you should have wanted to experience unless you are an "E ticket ride" fanatic. It was windy when we made it to Victoria, and Cpt Foster could have chosen not to dock, but we did make it. We didn't even get off the ship, since we live nearby and go to Victoria frequently, but were happy for those who did want to go into town or on excursions.

[Coolmama_1]

Great review. Thanks for sharing.

[Sailkeywest]

Originally Posted by SeattleCruiselover

In fact, you will be our "neighbor" on that cruise. We will be in D737 just below and to the starboard of you. Give us a shout out......

Is that an invitation to send spit-balls over my balcony and jump up and down loudly in the cabin when you are trying to sleep? *has cabin envy* I checked into booking that cabin and was cursing the person who got it Any idea how the corner minis are on the deck below? (emerald) We stuck with the caribe balcony because I thought the higher up we were, might have better viewing for whales and such?

*prays this isn't thread hijacking* Thank you for the great review again!

[Infi]

Thanks so much for the review, Karen. After reading all of your valuable advice about Seattle before our cruise this year, I was looking forward to hearing how your cruise went. I'm sorry to hear that you had such a rough time of it at Pier 91. It's funny that arriving early helped you deal with traffic - we arrived too early and fought all the disembarkation traffic instead! You never know with that crazy pier, I suppose. We also did the Alaska Queen excursion in Ketchikan and let me tell you - don't worry, you didn't miss much. It was a bit cheesy with the acting, I wouldn't do it again.

Glad to hear you had such a nice time, and as always, thanks for your help with Seattle.